Doctor Who_ The Room With No Doors - Kate Orman [30]
The Doctor gave Chris a sideways look that made him wish he hadn’t asked.
‘I know exactly where I’m going,’ he said, and wouldn’t say anything more.
Out out out
Penelope found herself wishing for the three hundredth time that she had never read The Cask of Arnontillado.
At least she was small enough to fit into the trunk without bending. Mr Mintz was positively squashed, his back bent awkwardly. A little light was leaking in through the bamboo; she could see his glasses as he shrugged, trying to get into a more comfortable position.
Despite the discomfort, Penelope relished the thought of her husband finding out she had been locked in a box with another man. Fortunately, Mr Mintz was being as much a gentleman as circumstances permitted.
She saw another spot of light as he wriggled down further, trying to see through one of the holes in the trunk. She could see a small section of the hut if she rested her head against the side.
A peasant family was sitting together, speaking quietly. Joel had silenced his translation device, but the trepidation in their voices was unmistakable.
They kept glancing at the trunk. She hoped their courage did not falter.
Once it was dark it would be safe for her and Joel to creep out of their hiding place, but they faced the possibility of being locked in here for the rest of the day, with no way of knowing what was happening in the village or what had become of the Doctor and Chris.
Penelope felt another stab of panic at the prospect of being trapped in this time. She thought she had given adequate thought to the possibility before setting out on her first journey. But, if the truth was known, she had given little thought to anything that day. Anything but escaping her home, escaping her notebooks and journals and correspondence, escaping yet another lecture about her domestic responsibilities.
She had been astonished when the machine, after months of adjustments, calculations and not a little language that would have earned her further hus-62
bandly lectures, abruptly worked.
After that it had all been surprises.
She was fortunate that the future contained people dedicated to the task of looking after stray time travellers!
In less than a hundred years, the world had been transformed. Not beyond all recognition – there were still police – but the machines! Machines everywhere!
When Mr Mintz had come to rescue her, she had been torn between her desire to escape the authorities and her need to examine the machines more closely. He had refused to pull to the side of the road so that she could examine the mechanism that powered his car. So she had contented herself with experimenting with the radio for the rest of the journey.
His decision to accompany her was a chivalrous one, but now she wished she had not permitted it. Even with the use of Mr Mintz’s PowerBook, her figures would not be enough to see them home.
If they were trapped in this time and place, it would be the result of her disastrously premature experiment. She did not imagine they would survive long. Through her own impatience, she had escaped one prison only to find herself in another.
She shut her eyes firmly, forcing down the fear. It was as though there was a small voice in the back of her mind, pleading to be let out.
It galled her that the only rescue might be the Doctor. She frowned, pictur-ing him in her mind’s eye. There was something behind his patronizing tone and impatience. It was as though he had some urgent, secret mission, and she was an impediment. Interesting.
Something was happening in the hut. Penelope pushed her eye to the tiny hole. Two of the villagers were bringing something inside.
She heard Joel exhale in lieu of exclaiming. It was Kame, the samurai, evidently injured.
The villagers moved around the body, speaking in low voices. With a jolt, Penelope realized the man was dead. With the suicidal courage his caste displayed, she would not have been surprised if he had attacked the whole of the invading force.
The villagers lifted the body. Joel and Penelope looked up at the same